Where the Crawdads Sing hit a little flat for me. It's hard to say that when I know the movie received such initially positive reviews from critics, etc. But the truth is the truth is the truth.
A good rainy Sunday afternoon movie but don't expect not t0 get distracted.
This review will explain why the movie fell flat for me, what my hopes are when I read the book, and why you might have an entirely different experience. And, I promise, no spoilers.
Where the Crawdads Sing was a slow paced movie that failed to excite
The initial mystery set a tone of intrigue and whodoneit that caught my interest faster than I was expecting but everything from that point forward moved at a snails pace. Usually, when this happens in movies, its to let us get to know our characters in better depth. Unfortunately some of the complexities of the characters in this film couldn't be captured, no matter how slow it moved.
I think it might have been better to release this tale as a miniseries to go deeper into each character, their stories, and their connections without losing the plot of the original novel. I should be clear, however, that I haven't read the original book 😲
Without getting a deeper understanding of the characters and their stories I was hoping, then, for more action - more scenes that kept me on the edge of my seat. These were few and far between, though, which mostly just left my imagination wandering around my living room.
The Characters were well developed and complex
Here's a winning point for the film! Though I'd have loved more backstory for each character and the opportunity to watch their relationships grow in more depth, each one was still portrayed as a complex and often conflicted individual.
There are few things worse, for me, than watching a film or reading a book with stereotypical one-dimensional characters. And while I expected that Kya would be complex and stereotype-shattering, I was pleasantly surprised to find more characters with layers and inner conflicts.
I'm very curious to see how Delia Owens explores the complexities of her characters in the original novel.
An emotional journey with some of the feels
Where the Crawdads Sing is clearly a drama film. It's not here for high action or suspense. It's not here to make you laugh. It's here to make you THINK and FEEL. But while it did make me think about stereotypes and the way we treat other people, it didn't make me feel nearly as much as I expected.
I cry pretty damn easily 😭 I'm the "cries at a commercial of two baby bears" type of person. And I really expected to cry during this movie but I just didn't. I think this all goes back to my point about character development - I just didn't develop a strong enough connection to any of the characters 🤷🏻♀️
This is something I'm also curious to explore when I read the book. If Delia Owens can actually bring me to tears reading the book EVEN THOUGH I've already seen the movie, I'm going to count that as a job REALLY well done.
